Reports are circulating that TV maker Panasonic has halted the development of plasma TVs and is considering exiting the market altogether. Panasonic wouldn't be the first major TV manufacturer to exit the sagging plasma TV market, as Vizio threw in the towel on the segment back in 2009.

The move is part of Panasonic's plan to turn around its ailing TV business. For its part, a Panasonic representative was more nebulous about the company’s intentions, stating, "We are considering a number of options regarding our TV business. But nothing has been decided yet.”

Panasonic announced in November of 2012 that it has plans to shed 10,000 workers by the end of March 2013. And last summer, Panasonic announced that it was teaming up with Sony to share costs and to collaborate on the production of next-generation OLED panels for TVs and other large displays. Many see OLED as the next big sreen technology in the TV industry.

Like other guys said, you know nothing about display technology. Plasma is still the best affordable technology for TV. Panasonic has won many awards for their Plasma picture quality. Its sad to see that they finally throw in the white flag after the others. Though it will be interesting to see OLED vs LED backlight LCD in the very near future.I am saving for a 55" 4K OLED TV...(US$4000?) Hopefully they will be available in 2 years time.

Lucky me I purchased a VT50 55" plasma last week. No LCD can touch it. No motion blur, no funky colors, no halo effect. It has unrivaled black levels, contrast, picture accuracy and viewing angles. The electricity usage sticker says $24 year in cost when watching 5 hours a day (at $.10kwh). I don't watch that set for that long in a day and I pay $.08kwh so I really don't see it costing $20-$40 more in electricity. I've got ultra thin LED LCD TVs in my office and bedroom and they are a poor alternative. Americans just want cheap and big, just like computer monitors.

By the time OLEDs come down in price I will be looking for an upgrade. Until then there's nothing that an LCD has that I need or want.